The average teacher explains complexity; the gifted teacher reveals simplicity.

Brault contrasts two approaches to teaching: one that can competently unpack difficult material, and another that goes further by discerning the underlying pattern that makes the material feel clear and graspable. “Explains complexity” suggests adding steps, details, and scaffolding—useful but potentially still leaving the learner dependent on the teacher’s exposition. “Reveals simplicity” implies insight: identifying first principles, choosing the right analogy, or stripping away nonessentials so the student can see the structure for themselves. The quote elevates teaching as an art of clarity and judgment, where mastery is measured not by how much one can say, but by how directly one can illuminate what matters.